Hidden
by laughandlove
Summary: What if Clark had died in Hidden? Obviously does not follow the Superman storyline, but the story begged to be written. This is my first fanfic, so please review! Constructive criticism is appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this story has been completely revamped. This was my first fanfic, and I kinda sucked at it then. Not that I'm anything special at this point, but still. Hopefully all of the stupid mistakes are gone. Enjoy! I own nothing.**

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Clark gasped in pain. He vaguely heard Chloe's screams, Gabriel's harsh justification to her for what he had just done, and, finally, his car driving away.

_He's taken Chloe!_ thought Clark with desperation. _I need to get to her, I need to save her! The entire town is going to be blown up!_ These thoughts went through his head, telling him to take immediate action to save the town and the people that he loved, but he couldn't move.

He was hurt. _This can't be…I'm never hurt…I can't get shot, I can take bullets!_ He had forgotten. He no longer had his abilities. Why was he so selfish? He had given them up to be with Lana, to live a normal life, and look where it had gotten him. What had ever made him think that he deserved to be normal? His stupid decision would destroy the town, killing not only himself but everyone he ever really cared about, ever really loved. The woman he wanted to marry, his best friend, his parents…

Warm blood dripped from Clark's mouth. He couldn't breathe. He brought his hands slowly to his wound, trying feebly to stem the flow of blood, and found himself on his knees. The ground was spinning…the pain was unbearable…he shut his eyes, fell back, and gave in to darkness.

**SVSVSVSVSV**

Clark was being pushed. He felt oxygen being forced into his lungs, the prick of the needle shoved into his arm, and many hands pushing on his chest and pushing back his hair. _Where am I?_ It came to him then…the hospital. Some farmer must have found him and called 911. It worried Clark that he had no recollection of any of this happening. He must have been out for at least twenty minutes. Time had been wasted, he needed to warn them…tell them about the missile, about Gabriel, about Chloe…As he tried to do so, however, something worried him more than anything. He couldn't open his eyes.

**SVSVSVSVSV**

_"We have a gunshot wound."_

_"Victim is male, eighteen years old, possible collapsed lung and internal bleeding."_

_"Emergency surgery is needed. We need to see the extent of the damage."_

**SVSVSVSVSV**

Chloe struggled against her restraints. She was tied to a chair, in one of the many missile silos of Smallville, about to become witness to the destruction of the town she had spent the majority of her life in. Tears flowed freely down her face as she recalled what had happened earlier to Clark, but she couldn't let herself think about it. Clark was okay, he had to be okay. He always was.

Lana quietly opened the door to Clark's room, and walked cautiously in. She wasn't supposed to be in there, but she had to come nonetheless. She had to make sure that he knew how she felt about him.

There he was, underneath a thin white sheet, with no shirt on – making the bloodstained bandage that covered his gunshot wound painfully clear to her. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be sleeping. He looked serene, almost as if he were sleeping in on a Sunday morning. _Just as he had looked when she had woken up earlier_. A heart monitor beeped steadily next to his bed.

She approached his unconscious form, tears welling in her eyes, and took a seat next to where he lay. She looked down at his face and ran her fingers through his hair, recalling how happy they were only a mere forty minutes ago. She had never felt so full of love as she had then, and remembered with a slight grin how her biggest worry was how Mr. Kent had reacted to the news that they had slept together the previous night.

"I don't even know if you can hear me," said Lana quietly, "but there are some things I have to tell you. From the first moment I saw you, I knew that no one could make me happier. All those times I pulled away are because I knew this day would come. I knew you would always be out there, trying to save the world, and I was scared of getting to close for fear that this might happen."

To Lana's extreme surprise, Clark opened his eyes, turned his head, and looked up at her; the corners of his mouth upturned in a slight smile.

Lana smiled and choked back a sob of relief, touching the side of his face. Everything was going to be okay now, she knew it.

A long, steady beep startled her out of her slight reverie. Clark had closed his eyes, and his head had slumped back to the side. She then realized what the beep was. The heart monitor.

"No!" She sobbed. "Clark!"

Tears streamed down her face as she cried, unable to control herself. Doctors and nurses had rushed into the room to attend to Clark, and pushed her out.

"You aren't supposed to be in here, Ms. Lang," said one of the nurses. "You need to leave now."

She complied, but after she left, she observed what was happening through the window to Clark's room. She covered her mouth with her hand, and watched anxiously – heart fluttering into her throat – as the doctors got out the defibrillators and stuck them to his chest.

"Clear!" a nurse yelled. The shock traveled through Clark's body, causing his limp form to jerk up. The nurse then placed an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose in the perhaps feeble hope that he would breathe it in.

This cycle continued for a couple of minutes, with no response whatsoever from Clark. To Lana's horror, the nurse removed the oxygen mask and put away the defibrillators. _No!_ she panicked. _Keep going! You can't give up! He can't be dead!_

The nurse looked sadly down at Clark's motionless body.

"I'm calling this one. Time of death, 7:13 a.m."

"NO!" cried Lana, this time out loud. "CLARK!"

Ignoring protests from the doctors and nurses, Lana rushed into the hospital room and to the side of the bed. She caressed his face, and, as an incredulous dizziness took hold, found that it was already losing its warmth. The tears came harder, and was forced out of the room by the nurse who had attempted to save him earlier. Clark was dead. Everyone she ever loved had died, including her parents, Ryan, Evan, and every one of her boyfriends.

_I'm cursed._

She gripped the side of the hallway for balance, and walked slowly into the lobby, to face Mr. And Mrs. Kent.

**SVSVSVSVSV**

Chloe was panicking. The missile was going to be launched in five minutes, and Gabriel had proved himself to be crazier than she had ever realized. There would be no reasoning with him. He actually believed that killing people was the answer to getting rid of Smallville's meteor freaks, as there were bound to be more after the most recent meteor shower – a clear justification, in his mind, for the murder of thousands of innocent people. Not that the kid had ever had a chance, given who his father was.

He wanted Chloe alive solely to write his story, what he had called the "story of a lifetime." Chloe had never cared less for writing for the Daily Planet. At this point, she was the only one who could do anything to stop Smallville from being obliterated.

_Clark isn't going to come,_ she told herself. _It's up to you now._ Gabriel was completely absorbed with the computers, and wasn't paying much attention to her. She contorted her hands painfully behind her and attempted to untie the knot keeping her attached to the chair. To her surprise, it began to loosen. Her feet were still fastened together, but if she could only get her hands untied…

She had it. Her hands were free. She grabbed a crowbar, which she figured Gabriel had kept as a weapon, and bent down to untie her feet. When she was completely mobile, she crept silently up behind Gabriel. He turned around, but before he had a chance to react, she hit him over the head with the long piece of metal. He fell like a rock, out cold.

_Okay, Chloe,_ she told herself. _You have one minute. You can do this…_She typed in multiple password combinations into the computer, and every time received the red, glaring message "ACCESS DENIED". The clock was ticking down. _Of course!_ Chloe hastily typed in her final combination, the same password she had used to access Lionel Luthor's internet account a couple of years ago. To her delight, she read "ACCESS GRANTED" on the screen. The rest was easy. Using her expertly honed computer-hacking skills, she successfully cancelled the planned launch of the missile. She had saved Smallville. Suddenly, she felt something cold pressed against the back of her head. A gun.

"Don't move, Chloe. If you let me back on this computer, I won't have to kill you. You still need to write my story, remember, I expected more out of you!"

"Gabriel, I can't let you do this... I am _not_ letting you kill innocent people."

Before he could respond, Chloe had spun around and grabbed the gun. She knew she had the time to do so, because Gabriel was hesitant to shoot…he didn't want to kill her. They both struggled with the gun. Chloe pushed it down, and easily overpowered the weakened Gabriel, still seeing stars from the head injury.

The gun went off, splattering Gabriel's blood on the glass in front of the missile – the smoke from which had started to diminish as the fires cooled.

**SVSVSVSVSV**

Lionel Luthor's eyes opened. He was in a small room, in a straight jacket, surrounded by hundreds of unfamiliar symbols drawn on the walls. He had no recollection of why he was there, but somehow he knew that he would be normal from now on. The reason for the symbols and his loss of memory was dead.

**TBC**

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**This is so much better than it used to be, though still not great by any means. Review, please! They are always appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**On to chapter two...which has also been newly re-vamped. Please bear with me. :)  
**

* * *

Mrs. Kent gripped her husband's hand firmly, unwilling to let it go. She couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes, to see the pain undoubtedly etched into every line of his face. She needed comfort now, reassurance that her baby was going to be okay.

Any hope she may have had of receiving such good news was banished when she saw Lana Lang walking down the hospital corridor. She was holding onto the wall for support, sobbing silently, and it appeared that every step was causing her pain.

Martha knew that Lana would not be in such a state simply after seeing Clark in the hospital. The poor girl had witnessed many horrors in her life, and was not easily reduced to this type of emotional breakdown. No, something must have happened to Clark.

_That can't be,_ she told herself. _Clark has to be alive._ But somehow, deep in her gut, she knew that he wasn't. Her son had left her. A kindly looking nurse followed shortly behind Lana. Martha glanced worriedly at her husband, who put his arm protectively around her and assisted her in standing.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kent?" The nurse asked hesitantly.

"Yes." Said Jonathan. "How's Clark? Is he going to be alright?"

The nurse sighed. "I'm sorry...we did everything we could, but we lost him."

Martha let out a sob of absolute despair, and folded into her husband's arms. Jonathan seemed to be in a state of shock, and simply hugged Martha fiercely, tears welling in his eyes. Lana was still leaning against the wall, across from the lobby, and watched their reactions with tears in her eyes. She couldn't imagine how they must feel. She herself felt like she would never again be happy...she couldn't fathom losing a child.

**SVSVSVSVSV**

Chloe rushed to the hospital. She had gotten a police escort after hurriedly explaining what had happened with Gabriel. Knowing all of the policemen in Smallville as a result of frequent encounters over the years had definitely helped them in eliminating her as a suspect, although they insisted on staying with her. She had called Lois, Pete, and Lex, and expected that they all would arrive soon.

She had begun to cry without realizing it. If she lost Clark, she didn't know how she would ever survive. He was the only one who had always been there for her...the one who had not only saved her from death countless times, but the one who had counseled her through hard times in her life. he was the one who assured her that she was not destined to follow her mother's footsteps into insanity, the one who had helped her through the loss of countless boy interests (she had a nasty habit of falling for psychopaths), and the one that she had loved. She always knew that he didn't love her back, at least in the way that she did, and she had accepted that long ago when she discovered the depth of his love for Lana. She would never want to take that away from him.

She burst through the door to the hospital, and was instantly greeted with a very annoyed Lois at the front desk.

"What do you mean, his location is confidential? I need to see him, now!"

"I'm sorry, miss, but Mr. Kent is in intensive care. Only immediate family may visit him."

"Maybe I'm not family, but I have seen Smallville in his birthday suit, and slept on his flannel-clad bed! Doesn't that mean something?"

"Are you telling me that you're his girlfriend, miss?"

"Girlfriend?" Lois laughed. "Of course not...I mean YES, yes, I'm his girlfriend, and that's why I need to see him, okay?"

"I'm sorry, that makes no difference. You can't see him now."

Lois had just seen Chloe, and immediately ran up to her, giving her a hug.

"Are you okay, Chloe?"

"No, Lois, I'm not. I just saw my best friend get shot, I was kidnapped, and had to shoot Gabriel after I stopped a missile from obliterating Smallville. How do you think I am?"

"I know you need to see him, but I can't get any info from this stupid bimbo at the front desk!"

Chloe sighed. She had no energy to fight the receptionist.

"You know who we need now? LEX!"

She shouted his name, for he had burst into the door at just that moment.

"Chloe? Lois? Where's Clark? How is he?"

Neither of the girls had ever seen Lex so flustered and worried. He was panting, and his eyes held unshed tears. Chloe felt a stab of sympathy for the man. His last moment with Clark had been an awful fight...she was sure that he was regretting his actions now.

"We don't know anything, Lex!" shouted Lois. "Little miss blondie here doesn't seem to want to tell us."

Lex's face became resigned as he walked up to the front desk. He came back not twenty seconds later.

"She has no news of his condition, but Clark's in room 423."

**TBC**

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**Short, I know. Ooops. Reviews are nice.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm bored today, so I decided to update the third chapter a bit early. Thanks for the reviews I've already been getting! Keep them coming! Oh, and in case you didn't get this, instead of using Lionel as a vessel, as the show did, I sort of made him a store of information. When Clark died, the information was useless, so he went back to normal. Three more chapters after this one. **

* * *

Lana was sitting on the sofa in the waiting room, comforting a weeping Mrs. Kent.

"I-I j-just don't believe it," she mumbled. "My baby...my only son...gone."

"I know, Mrs. Kent," replied Lana soothingly. "It wasn't his time to go. Clark was the best person I ever knew, and you and Mr. Kent are the greatest parents I've ever met. You were the last people to deserve this pain."

Lana couldn't control her tears, however desperately she wanted to in front of Martha. Somehow, she didn't feel as if she had any right to express her sorrow. She was only his girlfriend, right? She couldn't cry in front of his parents, she just couldn't...but she was. She buried her face in her hands.

"Oh, Mrs. Kent...I'm so sorry..."

"Don't apologize, Lana. You loved Clark. You have every right in the world to feel this way."

Lana just nodded, now unable to talk without sobbing. She glanced up towards the front desk, where Mr. Kent was discussing arrangements for Clark's body with the doctor. He would be kept in the morgue for three days until he was transferred to Smallville's funeral home on Sunday. The funeral would be Monday afternoon, outdoors. They never spent any time in church, so why should they now? Clark would have hated being cooped up. The idea of an autopsy was discussed, but not for long. "We know what killed my son," Mr. Kent had strongly declared. "I'm not going to advocate butchering his body to prove that it was a bullet." And that had ended it.

Suddenly, the quiet of the waiting room was shattered by the entrance of Chloe, Lois, and Lex. They all made to approach the front desk, but stopped as Mr. and Mrs. Kent and Lana came into view. Chloe, upon seeing Lana's grief-stricken face, dissolved into tears. She knew what had happened. She collapsed on the floor only to be caught by Lois – who calmly walked her over to sit with Mrs. Kent and Lana.

Chloe sat, hardly able to believe that she had even mustered up enough strength to do so.

"I tried calling Pete, Mrs. Kent, but I couldn't get a hold of him, and I wanted to come help, but I couldn't because Gabriel tied me up, and I just feel so guilty, I should have never let this happen…"

Martha stopped her there. "Chloe, honey, I would never blame you for anything. I assumed you stopped the missile, so I should be thanking you. You've saved all of us. C-Clark w-would have been proud."

Chloe didn't respond, but Mrs. Kent understood. They hugged each other tightly, mourning their great loss together.

Lex walked slowly over to where Mr. Kent was standing, leaning against the wall.

"Mr. Kent-"

"It's okay, Lex. I know. You don't need to say anything."

And so they were. Lex, Chloe, Lana, Lois, Martha, and Jonathan. They had suffered an incomprehensible loss – but at this moment, they were at peace.

**TBC**

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**Jeez, this is the shortest chapter in history. What was I thinking? **


	4. Chapter 4

**This is also newly revamped. I guess I can probably stop saying that now. And it's also somewhat…melodramatic and mushy. The sixteen year-old me quite liked things like that, it seems. The twenty-two year-old me? Erm...not so much.  
**

* * *

The funeral was short and sweet, just as Clark would have wanted. More people had shown up than expected: people Clark had saved in the past, the entire police force (with whom Clark had had many run-ins), and Pete.

His arrival had been emotional, to say the least. Though he hadn't seen Clark for close to three years, he remained perhaps the most affected by Clark's death aside from Mr. and Mrs. Kent. They had been friends since diapers, and were always there for each other. It was agreed by all that he would give the first eulogy.

By the time he finished, all were in tears. He had reminisced about good times, reflected on bad, and expressed regret that he hadn't been there for him, in the end. When he finished, he looked down on Clark's body, placing a hand gently on his forehead.

As he choked back a sob, he said something he had never told Clark.

"I love you, buddy."

And that was all. He said his goodbyes to Lana and Lex (after their short eulogies), was introduced to Lois, and hugged the Kents fiercely – through everything, he still regarded them as parents.

And then he left Smallville.

Lana, Chloe, and Lois were in the Talon a week after the funeral. Lana had insisted on working, to keep her mind off her sorrow, and was in the process of making espressos for her two caffeine-deprived friends when she dropped one of the glasses.

"Lana, is anything wrong?" asked Chloe with genuine concern. "I haven't seen you drop anything since your first day at the Beanery."

"Yeah, Lana, you haven't been looking so hot lately," chimed in Lois, "Spill, sister."

Lana sighed. "I don't know...I just...I feel a little nauseous."

"But you don't get sick, Lana – at least not for as long as I can remember – and there hasn't been any weird illness going around. Well, nothing wall-worthy at least," insisted Chloe.

She glanced over at Lois, who now had the beginnings of a smile on her face.

"Umm...Lana...just out of curiosity, have you had any strange cravings lately?"

"Cravings?" Lana wrinkled her nose. "Well, I guess I do really want a banana..." she stopped and thought for a second. Then it dawned on her. "LOIS! I know what you're thinking! But I can't be, it's just not possible!"

"Not possible? Do we need to have a little talk here, sweetie? I thought you knew how these things happened!"

"Lois, let up a little, huh? Don't you think you're kind of jumping to conclusions?" said Chloe.

"I don't know, why don't you ask Lana over there? She isn't looking so sure."

It was true. Lana had put down the glass and was standing perfectly still, a look of incredulity on her face.

"But we were always safe," she muttered, almost to herself.

Lois raised her eyebrows at Chloe, mouthing the word _"always?"_ but not saying anything out loud, for fear of being tactless. Sensitive issues were Chloe's thing.

"Well, you know Lana, nothing is 100-percent fool-proof. I mean, condoms break..."

"Yeah, I know Chloe, but...I'm too young! I have no money! And _C-Clark i-isn't h-here_."

She uttered the last portion of her outburst quietly, for it was one of the first times she had mentioned Clark's name since the funeral. Tears welled in her eyes, but she would not let herself shed them.

"We're here, Lana. And I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Kent would love to help in any way that they can. Let's not make any plans now, okay? We don't even know if you're pregnant."

"Yeah, okay," Lana agreed. "Okay."

**TBC**

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**Again with the short chapter. Sorry – from the **_**older**_** version of me – for the **_**younger**_** version of me's idea of a well-constructed story. Hopefully some of you are actually liking it!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter 5, guys! One more chapter after this...**

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"I'm pregnant."

Lana stared down at the fifth pregnancy test she had tried, which – like all of the others – had come up with an undeniably pink reading.

"Yeah, Lana, we kinda knew that from the first test," said Lois, "but we're glad you're finally convinced."

She glanced over expectantly at Chloe, who simply shrugged with an apologetic look in her eyes for Lois' blunt answer. The idea of Lana being pregnant had a different meaning for her than it did for Lois. She had known Clark since junior high, and remembered the days when he was a gangly, fumbling pre-teen, too shy to approach the popular cheerleader Lana Lang. In reality, she was barely grasping the fact that Clark was gone forever, and had not yet begun to accept Lana's current state. Everything was surreal. How had her world changed so much in such a short amount of time? _I gave him his first kiss,_ thought Chloe nostalgically. _And now Lana is going to have his baby._ She wondered if the child would possess any of Clark's abilities, but then realized that he had been human at the time of conception. _So,_ she realized, _Lana is unknowingly having the baby of an ALIEN? That would make a good story for the Daily Inquisitor._

Whatever mixed emotions Chloe possessed in regard for the issue, she would be there for Lana, helping her as much as she could throughout the entire pregnancy. Lana was her best friend, but that wasn't the full reason. She had to do it for Clark.

Lana sat down at one of the stools at the Talon, her face pale.

"How am I going to tell the Kents?" she asked her friends hopelessly. "Mr. Kent hated the fact that we slept together...you should have seen his face! And he thought it was just that one time! What's he going to say when he finds out I'm pregnant?"

"Lana, I know the Kents. I've been living in their house. Mr. Kent doesn't hate anybody, except maybe Lionel Luthor. They're the most understanding people in the world. They make the General look like Hitler, and even HE didn't kill me when he found out I hid a boy in my closet that time...although he sure didn't let me forget it...stop me when I start rambling, Chloe! (for Chloe had begun to grin). Anyways, I have this suspicion that they'll be thrilled with the idea of a grandchild."

"Yeah, maybe...", said Lana uncertainly. Her mind had begun to wander, remembering how brilliantly Clark had taken care of Evan after they had both found him in the crater. She had never seen him smile with such joy. She felt hot tears form in her eyes as she realized that Clark could never experience such joy with his own son, their son.

"He would have made a great father," muttered Lana, looking down at her hands.

Chloe and Lois exchanged glances, unsure of how to comfort their friend. They had both been trying to keep the mood somewhat upbeat, not only for Lana's sake, but their own. However, at some point, reality needed to be faced.

"We know, Lana," answered Chloe, grabbing her hand and looking into her tear-filled eyes. "Clark would have been a wonderful dad. I've never met anyone more caring than he was."

"Caring?" retorted Lois. "Smallville? If you say so..." She grinned at Lana, who gave her a small smile in return. "He's never so much as given me a compliment, but whatever."

Lana laughed, the first time she had done so since Clark's death.

**SVSVSVSVSV**

Lex Luthor sat in his mansion, his laptop sitting in front of him. He stared at it blankly. He was supposed to be finishing a report on the new stock of fertilizer his scientists at LuthorCorp had recently patented, but he haven't even started. _Death isn't supposed to affect me like this,_ he told himself. _I'm a Luthor...my father would never had let anything like this affect him. But I'm not my father,_ persisted a stronger voice inside his head. _I'm not._ He had tried putting friendships aside, being as ruthless as a Luthor was supposed to be, and attempted to investigate the origins of a certain Clark Kent. And how had that ended? In a horrible fight that ended up being the last time he would ever lay eyes on his best friend. He wouldn't make that same mistake twice. All of the research had been for nothing, anyways. In the end, Clark Kent had proved himself to be no more alien than he was.

To his surprise, he realized that he had tears in his eyes. The last time he had been emotional, he recalled, was when his mother died. He hastily turned on his computer and rubbed his eyed dry upon hearing the familiar footsteps of his father approaching the door.

Lionel Luthor walked into the room regally, his gait emanating that of a king. He strode over to the small bar, as he usually did, and poured himself a glass of champagne.

"I suppose I should be congratulating you, son," said the elder Luthor, between sips, "...on your recent success with the meteor-altered fertilizer. It seems as if crops are now growing at three times the normal rate. I applaud your fortitude through, well, shall we say...your current hardship."

"Thanks for your support, dad," replied Lex unenthusiastically. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to finish this project."

"Whatever you say, son," answered Lionel with I grin. I daresay I should go check up on the latest proceedings in the lab, anyway. I will like what I find, won't I?"

"Yes dad," said Lex quietly. His father had already left, without so much as a goodbye.

**TBC**

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**Yet again, pretty short...I tried to add a bit more, but wasn't all that successful. Keep reading, and please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Final chapter! And it's marginally longer than the others. Reviews for an old story are awesome! Even if they're scathing and mean, because I honestly get it. Or just a random string of letters. I'm just glad I've gone through and cleaned up all of my stories, and this really needed it.**

* * *

Martha Kent sat in the living room of her Kansas farmhouse, staring at the wall. Since Clark's death, she had been virtually on autopilot. She let herself grieve upon hearing the news that her child was dead, but hadn't permitted herself to do so in the week that had since passed. She had to stay strong for Jonathan, but that wasn't the full reason – he was strong enough for the both of them. He had dealt with his pent-up emotions not by moping around the house, as she had, but by tripling the chores he did on their farm. He got up before dawn, fed the chickens, milked the cows, and did other similar deeds until late morning. After a quick lunch, he would revert to heavier labor-putting up fences, planting and tilling, grooming the horses, mucking the stables...by the time he came in at night, he barely had any energy left to eat a proper meal. She hadn't seen him shed a single tear.

No, she didn't let herself grieve purely for Jonathan's sake. In truth, she was afraid that if she mourned her loss, it would make it all the more real.

The future of their farm remained in question. Neither Kent had vocalized their concerns, but the reality of the situation was becoming painfully obvious. As many times as they had told Clark that they could handle the farm without him, that he should go to college away from home and live his own life, they had said it only out of love for their son. They knew that it was only Clark's abilities that had kept the farm running as long as it did. He could easily do the work of three men, but Jonathan couldn't. He hadn't yet complained, but he couldn't live every day as he had been lately.

Martha awakened from her daydream upon the familiar creak that followed the opening of the front door. It was dusk, and Jonathan was just coming in for supper. Martha got up, quickly plastering a smile on her face, and embraced her husband. As they pulled apart, she scrutinized his appearance. His face was streaked with dirt, his hands were rough and calloused, and his clothing was damp with sweat. These descriptors were all familiar to her, but one was new: the sadness in his eyes.

"Hey sweetheart," he said affectionately. "What's for dinner?"

"Roast chicken and potatoes – blueberry pie for dessert."

"Sounds great," he sighed, walking over to the table and sitting down. "I'm starving."

Martha brought the food from the kitchen, set it on the table, and sat next to her husband.

"Honey, I'm concerned about you. I know you've told me you're fine, but I think you're working too hard. Tell me how I can help."

"I'm not working too hard, and I don't want you helping. My father ran this farm alone, and his father, and his father after that. I ran it fine even before...Clark...could help. Besides, you keep this house running. You cook, clean, do the chores...no, I don't want you helping with farm work." He spoke with sharp, determined words. Martha knew his mind could not be changed.

"You're right sweetheart, I know what you're saying is true, but situations are different now than they were then. Prices for supplies have gone up, demand has gone up...and we can't forget your heart problems..."

"My heart is fine, Martha," he answered abruptly.

"I trust you," she said, "…and I know that you won't do any more work than you can handle, right?" She knew that she had him there. The work was too much for him, and he would never lie to her that directly. He could avoid the truth all he wanted, insist that he had to continue with the work, but he would never openly tell her that its effects hadn't begun to take their toll on him.

She was right. He simply stared down at his plate, not offering an answer.

"I just think," she suggested hesitantly, "that maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to accept some help."

"You mean hire someone? Martha, you know that this land has only ever been worked by family. That's not what my father would have wanted."

"That's not the only type of help I'm referring to, Jonathan. You know, Lex has already offered, um, monetary support...new equipment, free fertilizer..."

Martha was surprised that her husband didn't immediately shoot down her suggestion. Whenever she had mentioned this prospect in the past, he hadn't even taken time to consider. She supposed the situation was different, now. Lex and Johnathan had never gotten along well, but they had made their peace at the time of Clark's death. Martha wasn't sure how, but she sensed it. There was no longer any animosity.

"Maybe," he said quietly. "Maybe you're right."

**SVSVSVSVSV**

Chloe pulled her red VW Beetle through the Kents' gravel driveway, and stopped the car in front of the house. Lois was in the front seat, uncharacteristically quiet, while Lana sat in the back, her apprehension almost palpable.

The three girls got out. Lana walked ahead of Chloe and Lois, up to the front porch, where she stood, staring at the door. Chloe and Lois exchanged worried glances, then quickly rushed up to meet their friend. Lana had requested that they come with her for support when she told the Kents that she was pregnant, so they had come. She had barely uttered a word on the ride over, and Chloe was concerned. As she approached Lana's standing figure, she placed a supportive arm around her shoulders.

"It's going to be all right, Lana," she said soothingly.

"Yeah, as far as I know, the Kents have never murdered anyone," chimed in Lois.

"Thanks," said Lana, with a small smile. She took a deep breath. "All right, I'm ready."

**SVSVSVSVSV**

Martha stood from the table. The doorbell had rung. It had served as a jolt of reality, causing her to jump back slightly from surprise. She had been so absorbed with her conversation with her husband that the loud noise had startled her. Wondering vaguely who it may be, she opened the door.

There stood a very timid looking Lana Lang, with Chloe and Lois standing right behind her.

"Hi, Mrs. Kent," said Lana breathily. May we come in?"

"Sure, honey, you all are just in time for blueberry pie. Would you like any?"

Chloe and Lana declined, but Lois had already begun to help herself to a heaping plateful.

"What?" she challenged. "I'm hungry!"

Everyone took seats on the comfy sofas in the Kent's living room.

"Actually, Mr. and Mrs. Kent, I came to tell you something very important." Feeling that there was no purpose to drawing it out, she continued. "I'm pregnant."

Martha gasped, holding her hand to her mouth, and turned to look at her husband. Tears began to form in her eyes. Jonathan simply looked shocked, but not at all angry, as Lana had feared.

"When...when did you find out?" he asked.

"Just yesterday," answered Lana, before bursting into tears. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what I'm g-going t-to d-do!"

"Oh honey, honey," cooed Martha, her motherly instincts instantly kicking in, "it's all right." She pulled her into a hug, and let Lana sob onto her shoulder. "It's all right. We're going to raise this baby together, okay? Everything is going to be fine."

Jonathan gave a small smile. "That's right. We'll be there for you all the way."

_One year later..._

Lana laughed as the holds her three month baby son in the air above her head. "Are you an airplane, Clark? bzzzzz..." She "flew" him around the room, the smile on her son's face bringing joy into her heart. The baby looked just like Clark, with her own almond shaped eyes and round face. He was a perfect combination of them.

She hadn't felt this happy in a long time. With some help from Chloe and Lois, she had placed a nursery in her small apartment in the Talon, and renovated the entire space into a comfortable apartment. She still worked in the coffee shop, and took college classes part-time at Met U – the Kents watched Clark when she was gone. They had taken immediately to their grandson, delighted to again have a baby in the house.

As for the farm? It was running better than ever. Lex had helped, but not only monetarily – his new stock of fertilizer had made the Kent crops the talk of the town, and money was pouring in. She was sure Clark would finally have approved of his friend.

**THE END**

* * *

**I'm still not all that happy with this...I think the cheese factor is pretty high, but whatever. Haha.**


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